1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to golf club assembly and, more particularly, is concerned with a system and method for applying a coating of a liquid adhesive to an interior surface portion of a hollow handgrip for a golf club and then applying the adhesively-coated handgrip over an end portion of an elongated shaft of the golf club.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A golf club has an elongated shaft with a handgrip on one end portion and a playing head on the other end. The shaft is an elongated rod or tube fabricated from any suitable metal, such as aluminum or a composite material. The club head is made from a suitable material fabricated or cast in the desired shape. The handgrip is a hollow tube open at one end and closed at the other end and made from any suitable resiliently flexible material, such as rubber or some other elastomeric material.
Due to several factors, the handgrip applied over the end portion of the club shaft is held substantially immovable relative to the shaft during use of the golf club. One factor is the establishment of a frictional fitted relationship between the handgrip and shaft end portion by providing a handgrip with an inside diameter being slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the shaft end portion. Another factor is the establishment of a bonded relationship between the handgrip and shaft end portion by providing an adhesive material between the handgrip interior and the shaft end portion exterior surface. However, from normal use of the golf club the handgrip tends to deteriorate and wear out and so the handgrip must be replaced, usually several times, during the life of the golf club.
The procedure used heretofore to install the hollow handgrip over the shaft end portion has been a source of problems. First, the shaft end portion is wrapped with a masking tape having double-sided layers or coatings of an adhesive. Then, the handgrip is forced over the wrapped shaft end portion. One problem is that due to the smaller diameter size of the handgrip compared to the shaft end portion, the friction of the handgrip against the wrapped masking tape may disturb the desired wrapped relationship of the masking tape about the shaft end portion. The wrapped tape may be pulled apart slightly at some regions and bunched up at others, producing a non-uniform bond between the shaft end portion and handgrip and an uneven feel along the length of the handle grip. Another problem is that the procedure itself for first wrapping the masking tape and then inserting the handgrip over the wrapped shaft end portion requires a certain degree of skill on the part of an operator and is also time-consuming and expensive.
Consequently, a need still exists for an improved procedure for installing a hollow handgrip over an end portion of the golf club shaft which will avoid these problems without introducing new ones in their place.